Click Banner For More Info See All Sponsors

So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!

This site is now closed permanently to new posts.
We recommend you use the new Townsy Cafe!

Click anywhere but the link to dismiss overlay!

Results 1 to 16 of 16

  • Share this thread on:
  • Follow: No Email   
  • Thread Tools
  1. TopTop #1
    Dark Shadows
     

    Quiz to find out the Presidential Candidate that Most Closely Matches your Views

    Take the quiz on www.glassbooth.org to find out which presidential candidate you should vote for, based on what's most important to you.

    I found that I should vote for a guy I've never heard of, now I have to do some research! But I think this site is very helpful, especially for those of us who are having a tough time deciding which way to vote.
    | Login or Register (free) to reply publicly or privately   Email

  2. TopTop #2
    Valley Oak
    Guest

    Re: Quiz to find out the Presidential Candidate that Most Closely Matches your Views

    I just took the poll and the result told me that I should vote for Denis Kucinich.

    Although I do agree with Kucinich, I will inevitably end up voting for whichever Democrat wins the primary, probably Hillary Clinton. It is voting for the lesser of two evils: choose the Republican or the less conservative Democrat. It has almost always been that way in U.S. presidential elections and will continue to be unless we change the voting laws and methods so that we no longer suffer from a two party system, which is what "first-past-the-post" is in the american electoral process. With FPTP, there can only be two major parties. We need a far more democratic system so that people who support smaller parties and less popular candidates actually stand a chance of winning, such as with Instant Run-off Voting and Proportional Representation (www.cfer.org, www.fairvote.org).

    Edward


    Quote Posted in reply to the post by Dark Shadows: View Post
    Take the quiz on www.glassbooth.org to find out which presidential candidate you should vote for, based on what's most important to you.

    I found that I should vote for a guy I've never heard of, now I have to do some research! But I think this site is very helpful, especially for those of us who are having a tough time deciding which way to vote.
    Last edited by Valley Oak; 11-24-2007 at 09:58 PM.
    | Login or Register (free) to reply publicly or privately   Email

  3. TopTop #3
    decterlove
    Guest

    Re: Quiz to find out the Presidential Candidate that Most Closely Matches your Views

    Thanks Dark Shadows. I like things that are organized and easy to use. Sure can be some dark shadows when you get in that voting booth!



    Let the Light shine down on all Americans in the next election. After all....how much more can we take? Makes one want to run away somewhere!
    :sonic::sonic::sonic::sonic:

    I think they should allow horses to vote too although I suspect a lot of them might be Republican....wonder if LLamas tend to vote Democratic? Independent? Happy Weekends!
    | Login or Register (free) to reply publicly or privately   Email

  4. TopTop #4
    Dark Shadows
     

    Re: Quiz to find out the Presidential Candidate that Most Closely Matches your Views

    I don't know, I voted for Nader in the last presidential election. I feel that if we vote for what we believe in, then at least whoever wins the election, and the rest of the world will know how we feel. And, we're showing we have a little back bone.

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by roble: View Post
    I just took the poll and the result told me that I should vote for Denis Kucinich.

    Although I do agree with Kucinich, I will inevitably end up voting for whichever Democrat wins the primary, probably Hillary Clinton. It is voting for the lesser of two evils: choose the Republican or the less conservative Democrat. It has almost always been that way in U.S. presidential elections and will continue to be unless we change the voting laws and methods so that we no longer suffer from a two party system, which is what "first-past-the-post" is in the american electoral process. With FPTP, there can only be two major parties. We need a far more democratic system so that people who support smaller parties and less popular candidates actually stand a chance of winning, such as with Instant Run-off Voting and Proportional Representation (www.cfer.org, www.fairvote.org).

    Edward
    | Login or Register (free) to reply publicly or privately   Email

  5. TopTop #5
    Valley Oak
    Guest

    Re: Quiz to find out the Presidential Candidate that Most Closely Matches your Views

    Well, let's talk about this a little bit, Dark Shadows. After all, I edited my original post largely at your behest.

    If the 2000 presidential election had been carried out using IRV (Instant Run-off Voting), then Gore would have been elected. Doesn't this fact inspire curiosity on your part?

    With IRV, voters have the very democratic opportunity to rank candidates in the order of their preference:
    Nader = first choice
    Gore = second choice
    Jane Doe = third choice

    With IRV, voters can confidently support their first choice for office without acting as a "spoiler" and putting a bad candidate in office, such as "W." Remember the important fact that Gore won the popular vote. With IRV, this crucial fact would have given him victory. At the federal level, however, the current electoral college would have to be removed and that requires a Constitutional amendment--next to impossible to achieve.

    On the bright side (and please correct me if I'm wrong here) no other public office anywhere in the U.S. or at any level of government, uses an electoral college system. So, by legislating IRV to replace FPTP (first-past-the-post), we can eliminate the spoiler effect and vote for whomever we want.

    If this is important to you, please do at least a little bit of research into it and don't take my word for it. If you visit those links I posted or look up the terms I've used in Wikipedia then that will give you a clearer picture of what I'm talking about.

    Edward

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by Dark Shadows: View Post
    I don't know, I voted for Nader in the last presidential election. I feel that if we vote for what we believe in, then at least whoever wins the election, and the rest of the world will know how we feel. And, we're showing we have a little back bone.
    Last edited by Valley Oak; 11-25-2007 at 11:37 AM.
    | Login or Register (free) to reply publicly or privately   Email

  6. TopTop #6
    decterlove
    Guest

    Re: Quiz to find out the Presidential Candidate that Most Closely Matches your Views

    "With IRV, voters can confidently support their first choice for office without acting as a "spoiler" and putting a bad candidate in office, such as "W."

    Brilliant idea.......any chance of actually getting it instated?
    | Login or Register (free) to reply publicly or privately   Email

  7. TopTop #7
    Valley Oak
    Guest

    Re: Quiz to find out the Presidential Candidate that Most Closely Matches your Views

    Not at the federal level (read my previous post more carefully). More accurately, it is extremely difficult to amend the U.S. Constitution (there are the two issues of not only instating it, as you say, but also of repealing the electoral college). However, at the local and state level IRV is much more likely. Indeed, San Francisco, Oakland, Davis, among other cities, already hold their mayoral and other local elections for public office by using IRV. Attempting to legislate IRV for the entire State of California would be a behemoth project right now.

    So, 'yes,' to answer your question, IRV has already been instated in a few major cities and, of course, can be legislated and implemented in more cities and counties around California.

    Edward

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by decterlove: View Post
    "With IRV, voters can confidently support their first choice for office without acting as a "spoiler" and putting a bad candidate in office, such as "W."

    Brilliant idea.......any chance of actually getting it instated?
    | Login or Register (free) to reply publicly or privately   Email

  8. TopTop #8
    urlove
     

    Re: Quiz to find out the Presidential Candidate that Most Closely Matches your Views

    I went on the www.fairvote.org site, and they had a link to a short video describing Instant Run-off voting. It explained it very well. What a great idea! Here is the link: https://ncvotered.com/cary/

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by roble: View Post
    I just took the poll and the result told me that I should vote for Denis Kucinich.

    Although I do agree with Kucinich, I will inevitably end up voting for whichever Democrat wins the primary, probably Hillary Clinton. It is voting for the lesser of two evils: choose the Republican or the less conservative Democrat. It has almost always been that way in U.S. presidential elections and will continue to be unless we change the voting laws and methods so that we no longer suffer from a two party system, which is what "first-past-the-post" is in the american electoral process. With FPTP, there can only be two major parties. We need a far more democratic system so that people who support smaller parties and less popular candidates actually stand a chance of winning, such as with Instant Run-off Voting and Proportional Representation (www.cfer.org, www.fairvote.org).

    Edward
    | Login or Register (free) to reply publicly or privately   Email

  9. TopTop #9
    Valley Oak
    Guest

    Re: Quiz to find out the Presidential Candidate that Most Closely Matches your Views

    Thanks for the link, Urlove! I had not seen that particular video before and it does describe IRV well:
    https://ncvotered.com/cary

    Edward

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by urlove: View Post
    I went on the www.fairvote.org site, and they had a link to a short video describing Instant Run-off voting. It explained it very well. What a great idea! Here is the link: https://ncvotered.com/cary/
    | Login or Register (free) to reply publicly or privately   Email

  10. TopTop #10
    "Mad" Miles
     

    Re: Quiz to find out the Presidential Candidate that Most Closely Matches your Views

    It's great you're all discussing and investigating IRV. Just to give credit where it is due, the efforts to reform our electoral system with IRV and other related ideas (Preference Ranked Voting - pretty much the same as IRV, Proportional Representation i.e. a parliamentary system) was initiated and has been led by my political party, THE GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

    ("Yes, I'm shouting, I like to shout!" The English Beat "I Confess")

    I first started hearing about IRV in the late nineties in the lead-up to the 2000 election. The places where it is used in California are due to the efforts of GPUS/GPCA activists.

    By the way, the reason you haven't heard about who is running as the Green Party candidate for president in the '08 election is that we don't decide until our nominating convention next July. So far a number of people have thrown their hats into the ring, Cynthia McKinney and supporters of Ralph Nader being the most notable.

    I took the quiz, and Kucinich came up as my guy. Too bad he's committed to a party that sold out its own base long, long ago.

    Cheers all,

    "Mad" Miles

    | Login or Register (free) to reply publicly or privately   Email

  11. TopTop #11
    Valley Oak
    Guest

    Re: Quiz to find out the Presidential Candidate that Most Closely Matches your Views

    Miles (and others), would you be willing to attend an electoral reform meeting at my house on December 2nd, starting at 7pm? We will be talking about IRV, PR, and strategies for Sonoma County (I am the chapter coordinator) and other issues. There will be people from different parts of California who are members of CfER (Californians for Electoral Reform, www.cfer.org).

    Let me know,

    Edward

    PS: I looked up Cynthia McKinney on Wikipedia and apparently she just joined the Green Party last month!

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by Mad Miles: View Post
    It's great you're all discussing and investigating IRV. Just to give credit where it is due, the efforts to reform our electoral system with IRV and other related ideas (Preference Ranked Voting - pretty much the same as IRV, Proportional Representation i.e. a parliamentary system) was initiated and has been led by my political party, THE GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

    ("Yes, I'm shouting, I like to shout!" The English Beat "I Confess")

    I first started hearing about IRV in the late nineties in the lead-up to the 2000 election. The places where it is used in California are due to the efforts of GPUS/GPCA activists.

    By the way, the reason you haven't heard about who is running as the Green Party candidate for president in the '08 election is that we don't decide until our nominating convention next July. So far a number of people have thrown their hats into the ring, Cynthia McKinney and supporters of Ralph Nader being the most notable.

    I took the quiz, and Kucinich came up as my guy. Too bad he's committed to a party that sold out its own base long, long ago.

    Cheers all,

    "Mad" Miles

    Last edited by Valley Oak; 11-25-2007 at 03:49 PM.
    | Login or Register (free) to reply publicly or privately   Email

  12. TopTop #12
    Dark Shadows
     

    Re: Quiz to find out the Presidential Candidate that Most Closely Matches your Views

    Okay Edward, I will do some research on IRV. But the fact is, we aren't going to get IRV established before this coming presidential election and I think that because people have these tools, i.e., glassbooth.org its a little easier for them to make better choices before they go to the polls. How many times have you not known how to vote on a particular issue because you were too busy to research it? What with my career, kids, dogs, horses, house, and traveling, I never had the time. So you never commented on glassbooth.org, do you think its a good tool? I only heard your sarcasm about it finding the obvious candidate for you. Isn't that good? What about someone who has a lot going on in their life and doesn't have the time that you obviously have to read up on the issues and the candidates, much less IRV?

    From: roble Supporting Member
    Category: WaccoTalk
    Thread: Quiz to find out the Presidential Candidate that Most Closely Matches your Views
    I just took the pole and the result told me that I should vote for Denis Kucinich (what a surprise, not).
    Edward


    Quote Posted in reply to the post by roble: View Post
    Well, let's talk about this a little bit, Dark Shadows. After all, I edited my original post largely at your behest.

    If the 2000 presidential election had been carried out using IRV (Instant Run-off Voting), then Gore would have been elected. Doesn't this fact inspire curiosity on your part?

    With IRV, voters have the very democratic opportunity to rank candidates in the order of their preference:
    Nader = first choice
    Gore = second choice
    Jane Doe = third choice

    With IRV, voters can confidently support their first choice for office without acting as a "spoiler" and putting a bad candidate in office, such as "W." Remember the important fact that Gore won the popular vote. With IRV, this crucial fact would have given him victory. At the federal level, however, the current electoral college would have to be removed and that requires a Constitutional amendment--next to impossible to achieve.

    On the bright side (and please correct me if I'm wrong here) no other public office anywhere in the U.S. or at any level of government, uses an electoral college system. So, by legislating IRV to replace FPTP (first-past-the-post), we can eliminate the spoiler effect and vote for whomever we want.

    If this is important to you, please do at least a little bit of research into it and don't take my word for it. If you visit those links I posted or look up the terms I've used in Wikipedia then that will give you a clearer picture of what I'm talking about.

    Edward
    | Login or Register (free) to reply publicly or privately   Email

  13. TopTop #13
    Valley Oak
    Guest

    Re: Quiz to find out the Presidential Candidate that Most Closely Matches your Views

    You're right, we are not going to get IRV before the next presidential election nor the one after that.

    I checked out glassbooth.org three times. It was fun. The third time I did it the result said:
    "Dennis Kucinich shares a 100% similarity with your beliefs"

    On the surface it seems like this website can help people out those who don't have the time to do the research but I say so tenuously. To rely blindly on only one source may not be a good idea. I read the "About Us" section and it sounded like a legit group of people but I am a very cynical person. The result matches my belief system and they are a nonprofit that insists that they are nonpartisan and accurate with their data.

    If someone doesn't have anything else to rely on then glassbooth can help but I strongly recommend other sources of information. With an online connection, it's easy to consult many different sources, even if you only have about a half an hour to an hour once a week. How much someone can read in such little time is another story or even if the person doesn't get along well with technology or research methods. There are other folks here on the list who can help you with valuable resource information such as Zeno, a vocal but well informed list member.

    Edward


    Quote Posted in reply to the post by Dark Shadows: View Post
    Okay Edward, I will do some research on IRV. But the fact is, we aren't going to get IRV established before this coming presidential election and I think that because people have these tools, i.e., glassbooth.org its a little easier for them to make better choices before they go to the polls. How many times have you not known how to vote on a particular issue because you were too busy to research it? What with my career, kids, dogs, horses, house, and traveling, I never had the time. So you never commented on glassbooth.org, do you think its a good tool? I only heard your sarcasm about it finding the obvious candidate for you. Isn't that good? What about someone who has a lot going on in their life and doesn't have the time that you obviously have to read up on the issues and the candidates, much less IRV?

    From: roble Supporting Member
    Category: WaccoTalk
    Thread: Quiz to find out the Presidential Candidate that Most Closely Matches your Views
    I just took the pole and the result told me that I should vote for Denis Kucinich (what a surprise, not).
    Edward
    | Login or Register (free) to reply publicly or privately   Email

  14. TopTop #14
    Dark Shadows
     

    Re: Quiz to find out the Presidential Candidate that Most Closely Matches your Views

    Thank you for the positive comments. I want to tell you something, and I'm being sincere. Some people have difficulty approaching people who seem politcally snobbish. Rather than feel like an idiot, we avoid them like the plague. And, I'm sure that these politically snobby people never intended to elicit such fear. They probably feel that its difficult to make friends, so they try to exude a lot of confidence by spouting well-researched information and views about current issues trying to strike up a lively conversation. In the end, they hang out with a bunch of similar people, but would like to have more interesting and diverse friendships. I may be entirely wrong, but its something to think about.

    I'm not saying that glassbooth.org is the only tool to use. It's just that it may help people who want to do some research in the privacy of their own homes, without feeling threatened. Sort of like the kind of research people do on the Internet when they've got an embarrassing question, or they're afraid to ask their doctor about something. Once they get the right information, they feel a little more confident and they sleep better at night, or feel more prepared as they enter the polls. I never said to rely on this one source, I'm only saying that glassbooth was helpful.

    So tell me, what is the opposite of cynical? In my opinion, the opposite of cynical is open minded.

    Definition of Cynical - Cynical, pessimistic, sarcastic, satirical imply holding a low opinion of humanity. Cynical suggests a disbelief in the sincerity of human motives: cynical about honesty. Pessimistic implies a more or less habitual disposition to look on the dark side of things, and to believe that the worst will happen: pessimistic as to the future. Sarcastic refers to sneering or making cutting jibes: sarcastic about a profession of faith. Satirical suggests expressing scorn or ridicule by saying the opposite of what one means: a satirical attack on his political promises.

    Cheers and Good Night.


    Quote Posted in reply to the post by roble: View Post
    You're right, we are not going to get IRV before the next presidential election nor the one after that.

    I checked out glassbooth.org three times. It was fun. The third time I did it the result said:
    "Dennis Kucinich shares a 100% similarity with your beliefs"

    On the surface it seems like this website can help people out those who don't have the time to do the research but I say so tenuously. To rely blindly on only one source may not be a good idea. I read the "About Us" section and it sounded like a legit group of people but I am a very cynical person. The result matches my belief system and they are a nonprofit that insists that they are nonpartisan and accurate with their data.

    If someone doesn't have anything else to rely on then glassbooth can help but I strongly recommend other sources of information. With an online connection, it's easy to consult many different sources, even if you only have about a half an hour to an hour once a week. How much someone can read in such little time is another story or even if the person doesn't get along well with technology or research methods. There are other folks here on the list who can help you with valuable resource information such as Zeno, a vocal but well informed list member.

    Edward
    | Login or Register (free) to reply publicly or privately   Email

  15. TopTop #15
    Zeno Swijtink's Avatar
    Zeno Swijtink
     

    Re: Quiz to find out the Presidential Candidate that Most Closely Matches your Views

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by Dark Shadows: View Post
    I'm not saying that glassbooth.org is the only tool to use. It's just that it may help people who want to do some research in the privacy of their own homes, without feeling threatened. Sort of like the kind of research people do on the Internet when they've got an embarrassing question, or they're afraid to ask their doctor about something. Once they get the right information, they feel a little more confident and they sleep better at night, or feel more prepared as they enter the polls. I never said to rely on this one source, I'm only saying that glassbooth was helpful.
    I think this is a great resource, as far as it goes.

    A limitation is that it does not engage critically with my preestablished opinion. It could improve by providing me with some other candidates I do not completely agree with, and their reasons for having another point of view on these issues. In this way I could learn something, and maybe modify my opinion.
    | Login or Register (free) to reply publicly or privately   Email

  16. TopTop #16
    Dark Shadows
     

    Re: Quiz to find out the Presidential Candidate that Most Closely Matches your Views

    You might actually be able to do that yourself by tweaking your answers to the rankings you do at the beginning of the test. Healthcare is the most important issue for me with Iraq and Foreign Policy coming a close second. What if I changed that at the beginning? Would that change the end result?

    Also, they provide a link for feedback, why don't you provide them with your suggestions?

    [email protected] - use this address to make our product better. Point out omissions, errors and any other improvements.


    Quote Posted in reply to the post by Zeno Swijtink: View Post
    I think this is a great resource, as far as it goes.

    A limitation is that it does not engage critically with my preestablished opinion. It could improve by providing me with some other candidates I do not completely agree with, and their reasons for having another point of view on these issues. In this way I could learn something, and maybe modify my opinion.
    | Login or Register (free) to reply publicly or privately   Email

Similar Threads

  1. Green Party Presidential Candidate
    By Tars in forum WaccoTalk
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 12-06-2007, 12:33 PM
  2. Libertarian Presidential Candidate Endorses Ron Paul
    By OrchardDweller in forum WaccoReader
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 07-26-2007, 09:29 AM
  3. Political Quiz - Liberal or Conservative?
    By Tars in forum WaccoTalk
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 01-19-2007, 07:33 PM

Bookmarks